The effects of rebound exercise on body mass index and balance in overweight and obese adults: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Rebounding involves repetitive bouncing on a trampoline, a low-impact and enjoyable exercise. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of rebound exercise on body mass index (BMI) and balance in adults who are overweight and obese. METHOD: This review searched Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, and EBSCO databases for relevant articles from January 2005 to January 2025. During the procedure, the terms 'rebound', 'trampoline', 'training', 'exercise', 'obesity', and 'overweight' were applied. This review also utilised the standardised mean difference (SMD) as the index of effect size. RevMan 5.4 software was used to analyse the average difference in the selected literature data with 95% confidence interval (CI). This review has been registered on PROSPERO (No. CRD42025638300). RESULTS: In the nine selected articles, a total of 234 participants (61 males and 173 females) aged over 18 years with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2 were included. The study outcomes revealed that rebound exercise considerably reduced the BMI (SMD = 0.48 (0.26, 0.69), P < 0.01, I 2 = 56%) of individuals with overweight and obesity. Nevertheless, the subgroup analysis revealed different results for intervention periods under (SMD = 0.25 (-0.03, 0.53), P = 0.08, I 2 = 21%) and over 12 weeks (SMD = 0.82 (0.48, 1.17), P < 0.01, I 2 = 14%). Rebound exercise also notably affected balance in adults with overweight and obesity (SMD = -0.62 (-0.98, -0.26), P < 0.01, I 2 = 0%). CONCLUSION: Rebound exercise exhibited the potential to reduce BMI and improve balance in overweight and obese adults. Nonetheless, only intervention plans of over 12 weeks demonstrated significantly greater effects. Consequently, rebound exercise can be employed as a programme to reduce BMI and improve balance in overweight and obese adults.